The provincial government’s recent budget made cuts to a number of public programs and services, which will hurt low-income people in Ontario. This includes cuts to social assistance, public health, library services, prescription coverage for children and youth, public education, and many others. It also includes a massive 30% cut to legal aid funding. And …
Updates
May 1: No Worker Left Behind! / Travailleuses et travailleurs uni.e.s!
Tomorrow is International Workers Day – here’s an important call to action from our partners at the Migrant Rights Network. * Go to a May 1st action near you, take a picture of yourself with this placard and share on social media using the hashtag: #UniteAgainstRacism. * If you can’t go to an action, post a photo any way and …
Ontario Budget 2019 Announces $1 Billion in OW and ODSP Cuts
– Massive Cuts to Legal Aid Funding Also Announced – The 2019/2020 Ontario Budget was announced today, and creates even more uncertainty for people who receive benefits from the Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) system. While the Budget is short on details about changes to social assistance, it confirms many of …
Bill 66 is a step backwards for Ontario’s workers
On April 2nd, 2019 the Ontario government passed Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. This Bill is a sweeping piece of legislation that will negatively impact on environmental, consumer, labour and public service regulations for Ontarians. For workers the proposed changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) and the Labour Relations Act, 1995 …
File Your Taxes: New federal tax credit this year
It’s almost tax time again! For low-income Ontarians, filing your income tax return is important as you may be able to benefit from tax credits that will either increase your income or reduce the amount of taxes you have to pay. Even if you don’t owe any money, you can get refundable credits that will …
MARCH 21: #UNITEAGAINSTRACISM | CROSS-CANADA DAY OF ACTION / Journée d’Action Transcanadienne: Unissons-Nous Contre Le Racisme!
Here’s an important call to action from our partners at the Migrant Rights Network. Migrants and refugees are being forced out from their homes in unprecedented numbers globally. Here in Canada, anti-immigrant protests and racially motivated attacks are on the rise. Meanwhile, right wing politicians who use anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric are getting rewarded with …
Human Rights Tribunal ruling on insurance companies and CPP-D: Reilly v. Ford
In a disappointing decision released on January 18, 2019, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruled that insurance companies do not discriminate when they deduct benefits received from a Canada Pension Plan Disability pension from long-term disability insurance payments. Background on the Case Disability insurance plays a critical role in ensuring that those who are …
End Employment Insurance discrimination against women / Mettre fin à la discrimination
* La version française suit * End Employment Insurance discrimination against women In the mid-1990s, Canada’s unemployment insurance system underwent a massive change. At that time, whether or not an unemployed worker qualified for payments was based on the number of weeks that they had worked before they lost their job. Although there were lots …
Changes Ontario is Proposing to OW and ODSP
Note: This information may now be out of date, as some of the announced changes have since been canceled. For an update, see this fact sheet. On November 22, 2018, Minister Lisa MacLeod announced a number of proposed changes to the Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) system. We have prepared several …
Ontario Court of Appeal ruling is a victory for Uber workers
In a ground breaking case, the Ontario Court of Appeal has decided that a clause in Uber’s contract with its drivers – which requires them to take legal disputes with the company to the Netherlands to be resolved – is “illegal” and “unconscionable”. This case offers workers some important protections where there may be unfair …
